With only a few hours left before we release our film, we are all filled with a healthy amount of anxiety as we hope our ¡Viva La Tortuga! will be well received. Usually around this time, a production crew’s major concern is naturally the quality of production. Unexpectedly though, many of us are more concerned about what effects our film will have on the conservation efforts showcased throughout.

Many of us admittedly signed up for this course to take a hands on approach to the documentary film-making process. An unexpected result is that many of us connected to our subject matter. Even though our film remains neutral and objectively highlights the conservation efforts in Magdalena Bay, we all experienced a rewarding feeling when actively participating with the subjects of our film.

This result can best be defined as Neuro-Conservation, which blends behavioral neuroscience and biodiversity conservation. In so many words, when it comes to conservation, seeing is more than just believing, it can also be motivating. According to our friend, contributor and pioneer in the new field of Neuro-Conservation, Wallace J. Nichols, the old ways of subliminally guilting people into trying to help the environment is fading. Associating “good” feelings with conservation is the future.

These feelings of “good” are exactly what our team walked away with when leaving Magdalena Bay. The subjects of our film became more like friends and colleagues as they engaged us and allowed our participation in the efforts taking place. Seeing sea turtles up close and hearing them breath helped to connect us to our subjects. This feeling we all walked away with is something that can actually be measured scientifically and, according to Nichols, is the reason we all started out as filmmakers and ended with a little something extra–a motivation to help the planet.